Before getting into what bike size do I need, first of all, let’s see why a person needs a bike. Bikes (Bicycles) are up on the rise. They are cheap, eco-friendly, easily available, and a medium for exercising too. These are the reasons why someone should buy a bicycle. While one can argue that it is useless to cover a fairly long distance of 4-5 miles, it can be easily covered by riding a bike as it will be extremely helpful in keeping you fit. In comparison, another can argue that it’s time-consuming. This particular disadvantage is not a major one unless you are very late to your office, school, or destination.
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So, if you are confused if you should buy a bike, for sure you should. Every year more than a hundred million bikes are produced, which are sold to many customers. So, bikes are the best option in today’s world to stop pollution, get yourself fit, and avoid an accident.
What Size Bike Do I Need To Buy And Why?
Now when you are ready to buy a bike, you must know the right one to buy. When you can choose between hundreds of thousands of different bikes, you must buy a right size for you. So that you can avoid back pain, knee pain, and low performance, which will trouble you if you buy the wrong size. So how should one choose the right size? Well, here I am to help you with it.
Well, what size bike do I need? It depend upon how tall or short I am. To be precise, our height is in proportion to the bike’s frame. So the taller we get, the longer the frame should. To put it in a tabular form,
|
Your Height |
Bike Frame Size |
|
4-11″ – 5’3″ |
13 – 15 inches |
|
5’3″ – 5’7″ |
15 – 16 inches |
|
5’7″ – 5’11” |
16 – 17 inches |
|
5’11” – 6’2″ |
17-19 inches |
| 6’2″ – 6’4″ |
19 – 21inches |
| 6’4″ and taller |
21+ inches |
While these were the size charts for simple bikes that you would buy off a store without having a second thought, we have a detailed size chart for different types of bicycles that are most popular right now, most likely your choice of bike.
What Size Bike Do I Need : Mountain Bikes
Even though every other bike brand has its size chart, and you can ask the dealer about the perfect size you can have, these are the more common ones which are nearly accurate and popular ones that are closer to the one you want to buy. To know more about best mountain bikes, click here!
Mountain bikes are used roughly, and they are meant to be light and be tough at the same time. So, their structural formation is a bit different. This may lead you to prefer a size chart before buying one.
Size Chart
| Height (ft/in) | Height (cm) | Leg inseam (inches) | Leg inseam (cm) | Suggested Frame Size (in) | Suggested Wheel Size |
| 4’10 – 5’3″ | 147-160cm | 25 – 28″ | 62-70 cm | 13 – 14″ | 26″ |
| 5’4 “- 5’7” | 160 – 170cm | 25 – 30″ | 63 – 76 cm | 15 – 16″ | 26″ |
| 5’5″ – 5’9″ | 165 – 175cm | 26 – 31″ | 66 – 78 cm | 16 – 17″ | 27.5″ |
| 5’9″ – 6’0″ | 175 – 183cm | 27 – 32″ | 68 – 81 cm | 17 – 18″ | 27.5″ |
| 6’0″ – 6’3″ | 183 – 190cm | 28 – 33″ | 71 – 83 cm | 18 – 19″ | 29″ |
| 6’1″ – 6’6″ | 190 – 200cm | 29 – 34″ | 73 – 86 cm | 19″ + | 29″ |
Hope you got the answer to your question “What size bike do I need?” after referring to this chart.
What Size Bike Do I Need : Road Bikes
Road bikes are those kinds of bikes that you would ride on an open road just for fun. They are currently one of the most popular bikes on the market. So, it would help if you had a road bike. Choose the best of road bikes with the right size to avoid pains in your body .
Size Chart
Here is the size chart you might refer to avoid those pains and get the full enjoyment in that long ride on that empty road.
| Height (ft/in) | Height (cm) | Suggested Frame Size(Size) |
| 4`10”- 5`0” | 148-152 cm | 47-48 cm (XXS) |
| 5`0″- 5`3″ | 152-160 cm | 49-50 cm (XS) |
| 5`3″-5`6″ | 160-168 cm | 51-52-53 cm (S) |
| 5`6″-5`9″ | 168-175 cm | 54-55 cm (M) |
| 5`9″-6`0″ | 175-183 cm | 56-57-58 cm (L) |
| 6`0″-6`3″ | 183-191 cm | 58-59-60 cm (XL) |
| 6`3″-6`6″ | 191-198 cm | 61-62-63 cm (XXL) |
Let’s jump to the other type of bikes.
What Size Bike Do I Need : Hybrid/City Bikes
Even Hybrid/City bikes are one of the most-bought bikes and it is quite challenging to find the best one. These kinds of bikes you can use to get to your office, school, college, etc. These bikes are made while keeping the city’s traffic and busy roads in mind. As every kind of bike is built differently, these are built differently too. Hence you must refer to a size chart to find the perfect bike for you.
Don’t worry, I have got you covered.
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Size Chart
Here’s the chart for hybrid/city bikes.
| Height (ft/in) | Height (cm) | Leg Inseam (in) | Leg inseam (cm) | Frame Size (Inches) | Frame Size (Marker) * |
| 4’10”-5’1″ | 147-155 cm | 24 – 29″ | 61 – 73 cm | 14″ | (XS) |
| 5’1″-5’5″ | 155-165 cm | 25 – 30″ | 63 – 76 cm | 15″ | (S) |
| 5’5″-5’9″ | 165-175 cm | 26 – 31″ | 66 – 78 cm | 16″ | (M) |
| 5’9″-6’0″ | 175-183 cm | 27 – 32″ | 68 – 81 cm | 17″ | (L) |
| 6’0″-6’3″ | 183-191 cm | 28 – 33″ | 71 – 83 cm | 18″ | (XL) |
| 6’1″ – 6’6″ | 191-198 cm | 29 – 34″ | 73 – 86 cm | 19″ | (XXL) |
I hope you find this chart helpful and you get the right-sized hybrid/city bike you needed. If this also wasn’t your type of bike, then let’s go on to the next one.
What Size Bike Do I Need : Kids’ Bikes
Kids’ bikes are the most sold type of bikes till now and are very popular. But, they, too, are built differently.
So, of course, if you want to buy the best bike for your kid, you should see to it that you buy the right size bike for him. These would be great bicycles for your kid, have a look at them!
Size Chart
Here’s my kids’ bike size chart for you to refer to when watching a bike for your kid.
| Age | Height (Inch) | Height (cm) | Leg Inseam (Inch) | Leg Inseam (cm) | Bike Tire Size |
| 2 | 2’9″ – 3’1″ | 85-90 | 12″ – 14″ | 85 – 90 | 10″ |
| 3-4 | 3’1″ – 3’3″ | 90-100 | 14″-17″ | 35-42 | 12″ |
| 4-5 | 3’3″ – 3’7″ | 100-110 | 16″-20″ | 40-50 | 14″ |
| 5-6 | 3’7″ – 3-8″ | 110-115 | 18″-22″ | 45-50 | 16″ |
| 6-8 | 3’8″ – 4’0″ | 115-120 | 20″-24″ | 50-60 | 18″ |
| 7-9 | 4’0″ – 4’5″ | 120-135 | 22″-25″ | 55-63 | 20″ |
| 9-11 | 4’5″ – 4’9″ | 135-145 | 24″-28″ | 60-72 | 24″ |
| 11-14 | 5’+ | 145 + | 28″+ | 72+ | 26″ |
I hope this might have solved your size-related queries. If still not, here’s a formula for you to calculate the right size of bicycle you should buy.
Size Calculator
You don’t need to be a math genius to perform this computation. However, you will require a calculator. So, here’s how you figure out what size bicycle you need to buy.
- Take the inseam of your leg and multiply it by the length of your leg. You must measure the length of your leg on the inner side while standing with your legs together or apart.
- Make a calculation!
Mountain bikes : (leg inseam) x 0.685 = your frame size for mountain bikes (in centimeters)
Road bikes : (leg inseam) x 0.70 = your frame size for road bikes (in centimeters)
City bikes : (leg inseam) x 0.685 = your frame size for a city bike (in centimeters)
For instance, if you want to buy a mountain bike and your leg inseam is 70cm, the correct size is 70 x 0.685 = 47.95cm.
Conclusion
We sincerely hope this has solved all your doubts and clarifies which size is perfect for you. Refer to the size charts offered in the article and choose the bike that suits you perfectly!
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Travis is a bike aficionado. Since he was a little boy, he has been riding bikes all day! And this passion led him to start this blog! His passion reflects in his words and detailed reviews!